- Monday: Eggs & veggie sausages
- I’ve been working under the influence of a headache since yesterday morning, so I’m so pleased that tonight’s meal is easy and won’t be met with complaints.
- Tuesday: Grilled sausages with mac ‘n’ cheese
- Is this going to be what we eat every other Tuesday, when it’s Poppy’s turn to choose? Very possibly so.
- Wednesday: Beef stew
- I’m going to be going to a women’s Bible study. The beef stew will be in the Crockpot. I’m hoping there will still be some in the Crockpot when I get home.
- Thursday: Honey-Soy Glazed Chicken Drumsticks
- I’m not a big fan of the chicken drumstick, but I have a bag of them in the freezer. So drumsticks it is!
- Friday: Pizza
Monthly Archives: September 2011
Verlander is headed for a 25-win season
Last month I wrote that “Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers is the best pitcher in Major League Baseball.” In that post, I observed that in the past 20 years only five pitchers have achieved 23 wins or more during a single regular season. At the time, Detroit’s Justin Verlander and New York’s C.C. Sabathia were both on pace to do so this year. Let’s check back in to see how they are doing.
New York’s Sabathia has now pitched 30 games. He has 19 wins, 7 losses and 4 blown saves/no decisions. Thus, Sabathia’s season win percentage is 63.33 percent. Slated for three more starts this regular season, at his current pace he would finish with 20 or 21 wins. Consistent with my previous prediction, I’m guessing he ends up on the low end. My pessimism is based in the numbers. Sabathia’s win percentage in his last ten games is 60 percent, which is about three and a third percent under his season percentage. More telling is his ERA. Last month, his ERA was nearly double his season average.
In short, it looks like Sabathia is tiring out and losing his stuff.
Compounding this is the fact that two of his remaining starts are against very good hitting teams (the Angels and the Red Socks). I’m penciling loses in those two games, leaving him with 20 wins for the season. Impressive, but not on Verlander’s level.
Detroit’s Verlander is another story. In his 31 starts, he already has 22 wins, just five losses and four blown saves/no decisions. So his win percentage is an awesome 71 percent. And he still has three more starts to go. At his current pace, he will finish with a beastly 24 wins.
But here’s the thing: Verlander is going to win 25.
He hasn’t lost a game since July 15, which was 11 games ago. That means that his 10-game win percentage is 100 percent. And the Tigers’ bats are finally waking up. In September, they are averaging more than 9 runs per game. Verlander wins games if his team can score a run or two. At run support to the tune of nine, he won’t lose.
Twenty-five wins.
They might as well give him the Cy Young now.
And let the MVP talk commence.
Ra and the gang give me the heebie-jeebies
OK, so am I only posting about homeschooling here now? Seems that way lately. But that could be because we had guests this week. Rockford’s sister and her boyfriend came for a visit. And by the time they left? He was her fiance! The children love him, and they’re thrilled that they’ll be calling him “uncle” in the as-yet-undetermined future.
Anywho, here’s what my l’il first-grader did this week:
- Social Studies
- This week’s “Story of the World” chapter was on the Egyptians. We started reading a book of “Egyptian Myths” — which Pete calls the “Egyptian Lips” — and my stars are they harsh. I guess most mythology has its gory bits, but I was taken aback by these stories. We were supposed to make a model of the Nile this week, but I didn’t have the materials on hand. That’s always a problem for me, and I’m trying to figure out how to fix that.
- Science
- In “R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey: Life,” we headed outside to do a plot study. We tried to find a bit of wilderness in the back yard, and we did successfully spot an ant. Poppy did an excellent job of staying focused despite the lack of wildlife. Pete very helpfully tossed a number of sticks into our designated plot.
- Art
- Artistic Pursuits arrived late this week, and Poppy was over the moon at the prospect of “doing art.” We did the first lesson, in which she drew a picture of her uncle-to-be spinning her and Pete around the room.
- And also
- “Teaching Textbooks”
- “A Reason for Spelling”
- “A Reason for Handwriting”
- “First Language Lessons”
- “A Reason for Spelling”