It's Wednesday again? What happened to last week? Well, since yesterday was Fat Tuesday, today must be Ash Wednesday. Since I grew up a Methodist, I did not know what Ash Wednesday meant until well into my adult years. I was fascinated to learn that you had to abstain from something that you really liked. My old boss gave up drinking for Lent. Another co-worker gave up bread. It was always interesting to me to find out what my Catholic friends gave up each year. If you want to share what you have given up this year, feel free to comment on this.

Here is a picture of Tom Brady and his "lady" celebrating this week in Rio de Janeiro. As you can see,, Brady has taken his hair to the next level. He has responded to complaints about his hair by saying simply..."hey, my lady likes it this way." While this hairstyle is not my cup of tea, it should be noted that Brady is in Rio de Janeiro mugging with Gisele Bundchen . What are you doing this week? I would have to say that Brady is "winning".

Here is another bit of odd news with Greg Proops: http://oddnews.yahoo.com/video-odd-news-24391978 

I am sorry, I love this stuff. Wedding dresses at Costco? What will they offer next? A college degree? That reminds me of one of my favorite silly movies...

Third base is often called the "hot corner". Balls hit to 3rd base are either screamers or dribblers...(there is a joke there somewhere). A 3rd baseman at least has the benefit of being set before the ball is hit. What about the pitcher who is much closer and is often left defenseless after delivering a pitch? What would you think about a helmet for a pitcher? I asked my soon to be 16 year old son and he scoffed at the idea. As a parent, I have a different thought. Why not protect young pitchers? We are so worried that batters and base runners must wear protective head gear, yet we leave the pitcher completely unprotected; until now.

Here is a photo of the Padres' Chris Young after getting hit by a line drive.

Here is a young pitcher that was hit by a batted ball off an aluminum bat. If this were your son, would you like him to have this on his head?

Another look:

While this may not have the style factor that young men want, I think that this will be something we see in the future...at least I hope so.

Here is a bit of the article:

If we're talking about seeing these in the major leagues, though, we're probably talking about a much longer path to being accepted. Those "Great Gazoo" batting helmets have been slow to gain approval in the bigs over the past year (David Wright(notes) was roundly mocked for wearing one) and pro ballplayers are notorious for refusing to adopt any changes that the player's union doesn't officially require.

But with a 100-mph line drive reaching the rubber in less than half a second and concussions having the potential to wreak havoc on a career (see Morneau, Justin), why wouldn't you seek to put an extra layer of protection over your noggin? 

In a word...absolutely!

In the offseason of MLB, there were several big time signings. Of course the Phillies signed Cliff Lee, but the Brewers signed Zach Greinke and the Rangers signed Adrian Beltre. Although it is early, the Brewers and Rangers have not tasted the fruit of their offseason labor. Somehow, Beltre's leg injury has prevented him from any spring action. Grienke had a few outings, but something was off. It turns out that Greinke has a broken rib suffered playing off season basketball. He will miss opening day and probably his first three starts...

I was not happy with the Beltre signing and I hope this is not a sign of things to come. The last big contract he signed did not work out so well.

Greinke's situation is a bit puzzling. He broke a rib going for a rebound. While there is nothing wrong with a bit of exercise; the Brewers have to be a bit steamed. Missing his first three starts is not the end of the world. But, spring training is used to develop arm strength and prepare for the season. Realistically, Greinke won't be full speed until May..at the earliest. At least Zack has someone to comfort him until he is healthy...

Greinke's wife...

Although it is not football season, I could not help but mention a word about Tiki Barber renouncing his retirement. Older running backs do not have a very favorable track record. I suspect that Tiki's comeback will be disappointing. Of course, now we will have another drama for the media to run with. I dread it already...

I am not a big NBA fan, but I had to share this video of Ron Artest this past week:

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So many questions for this fan. Why are you drinking coffee at a basketball game? Why not sit in your chair to text? Too funny...

That's all I have for this week. I will leave you with a bit of Jack Handey to take with you...

"If you're an ant, and you're walking along across the top of a cup of pudding, you probably have no idea that the only thing between you and disaster is the strength of that pudding skin." 

"How come the dove gets to be the peace symbol? How about the pillow? It has more feathers than the dove, and it doesn't have that dangerous beak."  

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to comment...