There are only four more days left in the month of May, and there are only two teams in Major League Baseball with a winning percentage of .600 or better. The combined payroll for both these teams is $65M, which is less than half that of the NY Mets (currently with a .469 winning percentage and 6.5 games back in their division) and less than one-third the payroll of the NY Yankees (currently with a .490 winning percentage and 6 games back in their division).

The two teams that sit atop their respective divisions and all of MLB in general are the Tampa Bay Rays and the Florida Marlins.

Go ahead. Rub your eyes and double check what you just read. Yes, on this day following Memorial Day weekend, the two best teams in baseball are those from the state that historically was known only for baseball in March not May.

Although it's still too early to crown either of these teams – the Marlins' lead in the NL East is only two and a half games while the Rays lead the defending World Series champion Red Sox by only one-half game in the AL East – it's never too early to join in the excitement of summer baseball that matters in the state of Florida.

Having been born and raised in Miami and now residing in Tampa, this is doubly-exciting for me. Specifically for the Rays, a team that did not exist when I moved to the Bay area in 1996, it's great to see them playing so well in the most expensive division in the majors ($.5 Billion in payroll this year) if not the most talented. Accounting for only $44 million of the half-billion dollar collective payroll, the Rays are getting it done with youth and great starting pitching. With every win comes additional confidence and belief the team can continue to play well and compete for the AL East title.

The Marlins, on the other hand, have been here before having won the World Series in 2003. However, the Marlins had to surge from 10 games below .500 prior to the All-Star game that year and get some luck along the way in order to qualify for the wild card and the playoffs. Their poor position in the standings in 2003 serves as a reminder that just because you're on top in May or June does not mean that's where you'll finish at the end of September, and vice versa.

Nevertheless, the excitement for baseball in the state of Florida is tangible. With the recent championships won in this state slowly disappearing in the rear-view mirror (Bucs in 2002, Marlins in 2003, Lightning in 2004 and Heat in 2006), the idea of either the Rays or the Marlins playing in the Fall Classic brings a child-like smile to every baseball fan who calls Florida home. On this day following Memorial Day weekend, here's hoping the standings look the same the day following Labor Day weekend as well.

As I look back on memories of my life, I can think about personal accomplishments as a youth both on the track and on the field. I've been part of championship teams (little league). I've had personal accomplishments in school (student body President, Scholar-Athlete of the Year). I remember the feeling of opening the acceptance letter from Tulane University. I can look back at promotions and salary bumps in the fourteen years since I graduated from college. I recall taking a cruise with 500 of my closest friends and rocking my butt off. I've even jumped out of a plane.

Still all those memories and all those feelings pale in comparison to the feeling of being a dad. These past two days, I've been so blessed to see the culmination of two of Daniel's activities. Monday night saw him graduate from a Tiger scout to a Wolf scout. It was really just a formality as all other Cub Scouts also crossed over to their next level of scouting. Still, I felt a sense of pride as I looked back on all of Daniel's accomplishments in his first year as a scout, and all the wonderful memories we shared together. I am excited at the idea of being more involved next year, and I know the overall scouting experience will continue to get better as Daniel gets older.

This brings us to Tuesday and the championship game for Daniel's basketball season. What started out as my stumbling into an assistant coaching position – I was helping out the first night and the coach asked me if I wanted to formally help him out – turned into a 7-1 season record and a fairly convincing first round playoff win. That lead us to the championship game on Tuesday night against the team that handed us our lone loss of the season; a loss that came in sudden-death overtime after the game ended in regulation with a tie.

Coach Darrell and myself have been on the same page since day one, and in addition to teaching fundamentals, we've also tried hard to make the overall experience fun for the kids on the team. We've also done a good job in getting everyone involved, and that is evident by the fact that every player on our team scored at least once this season. Tuesday night was no different and we had five of our eight players score a basket. Still, as it was 2 weeks ago, the game ended in regulation with a tie.

We actually had to come from behind to tie the game, and we did so with a set play we had worked on time and time again in practice. DJ, coach Darrel's son, dribbled the ball down court, allowed his teammates to setup offensively, and made a solid pass into the post to Brandon. Brandon, as we instructed him to do all year, turned and made the shot for the 2 points and tied the game. It was great to see it executed so well, and Darrell and I knew we had a play to which we could turn on the next possession.

We never got a chance to set that play up again and we found ourselves tied 10-10 as the final whistle blew. This game would also be decided in sudden-death overtime. We won the tip and immediately instructed DJ to setup the play to Brandon in the post. The opposing coach, however, made the necessary adjustment and had assigned a better defender on Brandon, thus preventing DJ getting the ball to his desired teammate. However, the defensive adjustment left Daniel covered by a different player, and as DJ dribbled worriedly in hopes of finding Brandon wide-open, there was Daniel all alone in front of the basket.

"Pass it to Daniel" I shouted out to DJ, and he did just that. "Shoot it! Shoot it! SHOOT IT!!!!!" That's when everything slowed down. The next couple of seconds played out in super slow motion as Daniel pivoted to his left, looked up at the hoop, and let the ball fly. All I heard was my heart beat. THUMP THUMP …… THUMP THUMP …… THUMP THUMP. The ball hit the front of the iron, took an excruciating bounce upwards and found its way into the basket and through the net.

Back on May 3rd, I wrote about my experience with Daniel's first ever basket in a game. I mentioned how it took everything to keep me from running out on the court and hugging him. Well, we had just won the championship. Daniel, with his soft shot, had just won the championship, and run out on the court and hug him is exactly what I did. I picked him up, his smile competing in size with mine, and gave him a big kiss. My heart just wanted to burst and I was just elated with pride and joy. It was amazing and inexplicable, and it was a feeling I will never ever forget.

And as I look back on the many, many high's in my life, I know they will always take a back seat to the high's of watching my kids succeed and the absolute and blessed pleasure that comes from being a dad.

What’s the first thing Kobe Bryant did upon formally being awarded the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award?  Probably send a ‘thank you’ case of Scotch to Chris Wallace, the General Manager of the Memphis Grizzlies and the person who executed the trade that sent Pau Gasol to Los Angeles and made it possible for Kobe to win his first league MVP award.  Let’s face it, if not for the Gasol acquisition, not only would Kobe not have won the award, the Lakers would have most likely finished 4th or 5th in the hyper-competitive Western Conference.

 

With all due and deserving respect to Kevin Garnett and the work he’s done in Boston, this year’s MVP award should clearly have gone to Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets.  Not only has CP3 led the Hornets to heights they’ve not seen since leaving Charlotte, he’s done so without the help of an All-Star Center, as is the aforementioned Gasol.   It’s true when you compare the averages of the other four starters for the Lakers and Hornets, there is not much of a statistical difference (13.3 PPG with 8.75 years of experience for the Lakers versus 14.2 PPG and 8 years of experience for the Hornets).   However, the true measure of value is found when reviewing the complete body of work for each player over the course of the year.

 

Kobe’s individual numbers are better than those of Chris Paul (28 PPG/6 RPG/5 APG versus 21 PPG/4 RPG/12 APG, respectively), and Bryant was far better statistically than the next best Laker starter.  From the aspect the MVP should go to the best player on the best team, one can argue Kobe is deserving of the award.  However, when the focus is on the middle initial of the acronym, there’s no doubt Chris Paul creates more value for the Hornets than Kobe ever can for the Lakers.

Chris Paul came into the NBA in 2005, drafted only a couple of months before Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and forced the Hornets to play the majority of their games in Oklahoma City.   The displaced New Orleans/Oklahoma City franchise managed to win 38 games that season, a 20 game improvement from the year before, and Chris Paul went on to win Rookie of the Year in the NBA.   Since the 2005-2006 season, the Hornets’ season record is 18 games better in ’07-’08.  By contrast, the Lakers are only 12 games better over the same time period.

 

Specific to this season, Chris’ 12 assists per game versus Kobe’s 4 is a reflection of how CP3 makes the players around him better.  Kobe may have scored 7 more points per game than Chris, but Chris created 16 more points per game than Kobe.  His average of +7PPG versus the average of the other Hornet starters further reflects Paul’s selflessness on the court and his overall contribution to the team effort (Kobe was 15PPG better than the average of his teammates).   Furthermore, Chris Paul led the Hornets to a 68.2% winning percentage this past season.  The Lakers finished with a winning percentage of 69.5%, but ended up winning 76% of their games after acquiring Pau Gasol on February 1.

 

Maybe it’s the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles.  Maybe it’s because sports writers felt New Orleans’ regular season was a fluke – a concept that has been significantly disproved so far in the playoffs.  Maybe it’s the sense Kobe deserves the MVP as a pseudo lifetime achievement award (dare we mention Colorado?).  Either way, there is more value in the 6’0” frame of the little kid from Carolina than in the often-hyped leader of the Lakers.  There is no doubt Kobe will go down as one of the greatest players in NBA history, but he has yet to achieve anything on a Shaq-less Laker team.  Chris Paul has been achieving since his arrival to the NBA.  Although he won’t get to hoist the MVP trophy this year, if CP3 continues to tear it up in the playoffs, he just may be hoisting a different kind of hardware come June.

PART I
This past Thursday, May 1, was my son’s 7th birthday.  Unfortunately, it was also the first time I missed his birthday.  Since the moment seven years ago when the nurse in the hospital first placed him in my arms, this was the first time I did not get to see him on his special day.  Normally this would have been terribly upsetting to me, but there were several factors at play that led to the situation - factors which, as it turned out, brought the whole experience of missing my son’s birthday into one, full, serendipitous circle. 

Firstly, Daniel’s aunt and uncle are visiting from Venezuela.  Daniel’s mom is from Venezuela and both her brothers still live there.  Given the distance and the little time my kids get to spend with their uncles, whenever any one of them is in town I know that I need to concede some of my time with my kids so they can build and enjoy memories with their family.  Taking into consideration my family is still in Miami, Alex has always been sure to return the favor whenever my mom or brother comes for a visit to Tampa.

I also could not share in my son’s birthday because I actually had to work that night.  More specifically, I had to report to training – pole climbing training – and it was scheduled from 4:00 PM to midnight.   I’ll get into the specifics of the why’s and where’s later on, but suffice it to say I had a work obligation that prevented me from my daily routine of picking up the kids at school and doing something special with Daniel to celebrate him turning seven.

And how quickly the seven years have passed.  Whereas Natalie’s birth seems a blur by comparison, I remember so many little details of the day when Daniel came into this world.  For starters, I remember how the experience was so much smoother than when Natalie was born.  Both my kids were delivered via C-Section, and for Natalie, Alex decided to go with a spinal for pain management versus an epidural (don’t ask me why, but in talking with the anesthesiologist way back when it seemed like the right choice at the time).  Needless to say, the spinal did not ‘take’ very well and Alex was in tremendous pain.  So when it came time to have Daniel, the choice from the beginning was for an epidural, and what a great and blessed choice it was.  Alex was cracking jokes and she was able to thoroughly experience and enjoy the birth of our second child.

I also more vividly remember taking care of Daniel as an infant in the hospital.  Maybe it was because I was less nervous the second time around or maybe it was because I was able to share it not only with Alex but also with Natalie, but Daniel’s infancy all seems clearer in my head when compared to his sister’s.  I remember how Good Morning America ran their Summer Concert Series that year and how I was videoing Daniel sleeping while Sting’s ‘Fragile’ played in the background.  The memory of my baby boy will always be linked to that song.  When Sting performed it later that year as part of the fund raiser following 9/11, I just broke down and sobbed uncontrollably.

I look back at the new memories Daniel and I have shared just in the last 12 months.  From soccer and basketball to scouting and camping, it’s been so awesome and amazing to have this little dude by my side.  I think back to last month when I coached him in one of his basketball games.   Although Daniel’s offensive game is lacking, he’s actually quite good at playing defense.  In this one game, he stole the ball from the opposing player, took the ball down court, and stopped-and-popped his first basket of the season.  It took every ounce of strength to contain myself and keep me from running onto the court and hugging him, and I can’t remember ever feeling that much pride in my heart.  It was incredible.

PART II
It’s no surprise then that I am a little bummed I didn’t get to take him for ice cream the afternoon of his birthday.  Instead, I was standing in a training yard at a Verizon facility learning about safety gear and correct pole-climbing technique.  This was all part of contingency training within my company in the event the technicians in the Northeast strike come August.  I have no idea what the negotiation points are or what Verizon may be trying to remove from the next collective bargaining agreements.  What I do know is if there is a strike, I will be deployed to the Northeast to do the job of the striking technicians. That begins with knowing how to safely and correctly climb a pole.  It also involves how to safely and correctly carry a ladder, extend the ladder and connect it to the phone cable running from one pole to the other, etc. 

So there I was, a guy from IT learning how to do one of the most non-IT jobs in all of Verizon.  I had my hard hat on, my safety goggles and my steel-toed boots.  I had a large, leather belt on which were two, large D-rings that would be used to connect the leather strap that wrapped around the pole and would prevent me from falling 18 feet to the ground.

In all seriousness, it wasn’t that bad.  Although I had a pretty bad case of the shakes the first time I climbed the pole, the second climb went very well and I kicked-butt in all my other training tasks.  From removing the 80 pound extension ladder from the truck, to extending it up to a phone line to securing it properly up against a pole, I feel like I had a little bit of special help from above through the whole process.  See, May 1 is not only my son’s birthday, but it is also the anniversary of the passing of Jimmy Roney – Lee’s father.

Jimmy, ironically enough, worked 32 years for GTE as a technician and installer, and part of his job was – you guessed it – climbing poles.  When Lee found out I had to attend pole climbing training all she could do was laugh.  The same reaction was displayed by her mother Patsy as well as her aunt and uncle, Mary and Terry.  As fate would have it, Terry also worked for GTE back in the day, and he, too, climbed poles as a field tech for the phone company.  I’m not going to say that Mary and Terry did not believe in me, but I didn’t exactly get their vote of confidence with regards to me climbing poles and playing the role of Mr. Telephone Man. I guess that’s what I get for being the guy who ‘works with computers’ and has a desk job.  I know Mary and Terry, and Lee and Patsy for that matter, were not being mean but rather complimentary.  Nevertheless, I used it all as added motivation to really do well in the training.

I firmly believe the added motivation manifested itself in training in the form of divine guidance from above.  Compared to the other two men in the class, I completely  rocked.  My harnessing technique was smoother, my ability to stand and raise the ladder better, and the overall quickness with which I was able to complete my tasks made it seem as if they were moving in super slow motion.  Perhaps Jimmy was giving me a hand with the ladder.  Perhaps he was keeping me secure up on the pole.  Whatever it was, I know in my heart it was there.  I could feel it.

PART III
The ease with which I was able to complete my tasks and learn new assignments allowed me to establish a rapport with our instructor.  His name is John Gillis and he retired from Verizon after 30+ years of service, most of which as a field technician up in New Jersey.  He now works as an individual contractor providing training services to Verizon and other telecommunication companies across the country. 

John has the familiar Jersey accent and that almost-lovable, Northeastern demeanor about him.  He’s not the type to sugar-coat an issue, and will quickly tell you when you’ve made a mistake or if you are doing something wrong during training.  Yet, he’s very fair and honest and he points out what he does to ensure the student does not injure himself/herself in the training process.

He’s got that sly sarcasm about him and that smart-aleck wit that is funny yet at the same time brutally honest.  It took me a while but I realized after the second day of training why it is I liked him so much.  As an instructor in the classroom, he was average at best.  Yet out in the yard, he’s a stud and makes everything he does look so easy.  In many ways, he reminded me of my dad. 

My dad was never good at expressing his thoughts verbally and made for a horrible classroom instructor.  But when it came to, “watch how I do it and then show me you can do the same” my dad was the king.  My dad always took the time to explain the little nuances of something or some task, and then expected me to do that something or task just the way he showed me it was too be done. 

That is how my pole climbing training was with John.  There was a comforting sense of familiarity through it all.  It wasn’t until after we were wrapping up our second night that it hit me.  My enjoyment of the class was not only because I was doing so well, but also because for a couple of days, I had the chance to have my dad back.  I had the chance to observe and to learn.  I had the opportunity to perform to certain expectations and challenge myself to do something new.  It was like being a kid again, growing up as dad’s helper and apprentice on the variety of projects on which he was always working on around the house.  And through it all not once did the training ever feel like ‘work’.

I don’t really know how to summarize all of this – the discussion about my son Daniel, about Jimmy and about my dad – into one concise or succinct closing.  I guess you can say I didn’t do something I normally do (Danny’s birthday) because I was off doing something I’d never done before.   Yet it was in being away from my son that I was once again reminded how being with him, and how the moments we create and share together, continue to lay the foundation for the man he will one day grow to be.  For a couple of days I was immersed in this spiritual triangle that linked my past to my future, and although I was only 18 feet off the ground, I felt as if I was high up in the Heavens with those two special angels watching over me and my son.