He’s back

MLB Trading Deadline today and my Atlanta Braves got Adam LaRoche back as our first baseman.

Alright, Adam now is your chance to hustle and show you care! I predict he’s gonna be off da chain in his 2nd stint with the Braves.

Now let’s beat the Dodgers (sorry Alyssa Milano, but I gotta root for my team. Don’t be mad)

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Filed under: baseball

The underdog

My kids love watching the reality show America’s Got Talent. This season, there’s a guy named Kevin Skinner, an unemployed farmer who the judges and audience laughed at when he first walked on stage.

He sang a Garth Brooks cover and when he started, the place turned deathly silent. Skinner’s performance was one of the most heartfelt and powerful performances I’ve ever witnessed.

Here’s to the underdog winning it all.

Filed under: everyday, Music

Get ready for some baseball!

Starting Monday, the Atlanta Braves play the San Francisco Giants. They are not only my two favorite baseball teams, it’s a great matchup because both teams are in the hunt for the wildcard. Of course, I’m a Braves fan first, so I root for them to pummel the Giants, but if the San Francisco wins a game, I won’t be so mad.

I love baseball season!

Filed under: baseball

e-Publishing

The deal has been rumored for quite some time, but it was officially announced that publisher Simon & Shuster will make 5000 titles in their catalog available for sale on Scribd.com which currently has 60,000,000 million registered users.

As an aspiring author, the opportunity at Scribd.com is a compelling one. Acclaimed published author Kemble Scott has taken a bold step in making his second novel The Sower available on Scribd.com for $2.00 dollars! Even with the price point being so low , he’s making more per sale than a traditional publisher would pay out. The thinking is that people will buy an e-book for $2.00 compared to a $9.95 paperback.

Scribd.com gives unpublished authors a great opportunity and the fact that a reputable publisher is joining forces with them is another sign of the seismic shift in the publishing industry. If I take into account how Amazon’s Kindle has reshaped how people read, we may be at the beginning of a huge change.

In my past life, I worked in the music industry and I remember retailers like Tower Records, Sam Goody and Camelot Music laughing at me on the phone when I suggested digital music would be a force to be reckoned with. Ten short years later, Apple’s iTunes is the premiere destination to purchase music while only a handful of music retailers are still in business. The age of buying records has moved primarily online.

Is the demise of the brick-and-mortar record store a fair example to use to gauge the future of the publishing industry? I don’t have a crystal ball, but I would imagine it’s a close analogy to be taken seriously by all publishers.

Having said that, there’s still something about curling up with a good book in my hand. I must be old-fashioned.

Filed under: Writing

Baseball. Again.

My Atlanta Braves traded Jeff Franceour to the NY Mets yesterday! Wow! After the initial shock wore off, I think the Braves got the better end of the deal. Ryan Church is solid and consistent at this stage of his career. Franceour has so much promise, but he had worn out his potential in Atlanta. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tore it up for The Mets, but something tells me he may struggle more due to the impatience of the New York media and fans. Let’s face it, Bobby Cox gave him 5 years as the Braves right fielder, about the same amount of time David Justice started as right fielder in the 90’s. The longest tenured outfielder for the Braves will forever be homerun king Hank Aaron, but Dale Murphy and Andruw Jones were the longest tenured modern day Braves outfielders. If Franceour doesn’t improve on being patient at the plate, I believe Franceour gave the Braves his best years.

On the local front, I’m excited for the San Francisco Giants organization. Jonathan Sanchez threw a no-hitter yesterday! And with Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain anchoring, the Giants look solid for years to come. It’s an added bonus knowing Tim Lincecum is 1/2 Filipino, a big deal for a Filipino American like me who dreamed about being in the major leagues. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a rocket arm and I couldn’t hit. The only thing I could do was field 2nd base and shortstop with the best of ’em. The Giants also had the first full-blooded Filipino in the majors last year. Geno Espineli, a left-handed reliever was called up by the Giants in 2008.

Officially, I’ll be a Braves fan for life, but the SF Giants are officially in second place.

Filed under: Writing

What a week!

The Michael Jackson Memorial was simply touching. Regardless of what pundits say, I felt everyone on stage was heartfelt and sincere, especially the last speaker, Paris Jackson. I found myself hugging my oldest daughter who looked at me, kicked her legs and said, “Dad, I’m trying to transform this car!”

My kids have these little transformer cars they’ve been playing with lately. I went to see “Transformers 2” the other day and although I was initially upset at having to pay my $10.00 admission, I felt it was well worth it. Michael Bay really gave us moviegoers our money’s worth. Constant action and Megan Fox running made it worth it for me!

Okay, back to writing. Let’s see. My second novel tentatively entitled The Duende is coming along. Of course, being the big sap I am, it’s a love story, but also a paranormal story about the Duende myths of the Philippines. More to come as my novel continues to develop.

Until next time…

Filed under: Writing