2014

Well the year 2013 is coming to a close. Normally, I would like to do a retrospective on the year that was, but frankly the year was so uneventful overall for me, a retrospective would only serve to bore you and make me depressed. (The only thing I could think of note for me was being in the same room as President Obama at the memorial for the firefighters who died in the West explosion in April.)

So I decided to lay out some goals for 2014. Since nobody entirely cares about other people's resolutions, I also figure I'll give some predictions about events I think will occur in 2014 as well.

First, I'll get the resolutions out of the way. Of course, these resolutions are all subject to the fact that Practice Court will be ruling my life basically 24/7 from February until July.

• I need to be friendlier and more social. While compared to my high school self, I am a very jovial guy, I still am missing out on fun times as well as potential networking opportunities. Right now, I see myself as a boring guy to talk to and I definitely need to change that.
• Need to be less afraid. I need to be more willing to take a risk and put myself out there. Obviously I am not talking about doing anything imprudent, but I have to get out of my shell. I'm not talking about engaging in carnal knowledge (although using the term "carnal knowledge" guarantees I won't have to worry about that), drinking, or engaging in other lascivious behaviours. I don't really have a good example, but I'm thinking this goal goes hand-in-hand with being more social. 
• I need to mature. I honestly do need to grow up. I am not ready yet to be a professional. I am going to be a professional in early 2015 and need to be ready for that. I know this year, especially Practice Court. I also assume this maturation will give me incentive to lose the 30 pounds I need to lose.
• Post- Practice Court, I need to volunteer more (perhaps at an animal shelter or something). As a Christian, it is our duty to help out in the community and to care for others as Christ would.

Now the predictions

• As much as I think Florida State is easily the best team in college football, God is clearly on Auburn's side (at least three miracle victories). I have to say Auburn will win a close one on January 6.
• Seahawks over Patriots in Super Bowl 48.
• Gravity will win the Best Picture award at the Oscars.
• I don't know anything about the NBA, but I don't think it would be a stretch to say that the Heat will three-peat.
• The Texas Rangers will be lifting a championship banner in Arlington after winning the World Series over the LA Dodgers. (AL MVP: Mike Trout; NL MVP: Paul Goldschmidt)
• The 2014 college football playoff will feature Alabama, Florida State, Baylor, and Ohio State. 
• While the economy won't collapse the way it did in 2008, we will see severe single-day drop-offs in the markets. This is inevitable because the stock prices are exploding based upon nothing. Its a bubble waiting to happen. (If any more economically minded people wish to challenge this presumption, please feel free to educate me on the subject.)

Hope y'all have a great 2014 and feel free to send some of your predictions and goals to me as well.

Duck Dynasty, Speech, and Business

For those that haven't heard, Phil Robertson of the popular show Duck Dynasty was recently suspended from the show over an uproar stemming from comments (albeit colorful comments) that he made that were taken as anti-gay. (He also made some comments, which I would have thought would be found to be more offensive stating that black people were happier under Jim Crow times, pre-entitlement and welfare. But alas, shockingly it's the "I believe homosexuality is wrong" stuff that's got everyone going crazy.)

I am not here to go on a philosophical debate about homosexuality. I want to discuss the right to an opinion. In this country, it is completely alright for people to have asinine opinions you people disagree with. This isn't Iran where you are cast as a pariah for believing the Holocaust existed. People probably think some of my moral views are askew, but in this country, we have a right to those opinions, so long as nobody is harmed by them. That being said, there is absolutely no way Mr. Robertson's bigoted views could harm anybody. He's a person on a television show. He's not enacting legislation. He's not going to be cited by the court's as if he was Dean Prosser on Torts or Blackstone or the Restatements of the Law. He has influence, yes, but not enough for it to affect anybody. People should mind their own business. It's 2013. Spouting off an unpopular, potentially bigoted opinion doesn't cause anyone harm the way it did 50-60 years ago.

Honestly, why are people surprised at Mr. Robertson's comments? The show he is on is very southern, good ol' boy, influenced. I am surprised I don't see a Confederate flag every episode just being flown around. That being said, the south is not known for its progressive views. The fact that a man who looks like the lost member of ZZ Top said that he has a problem with homosexuality should not come as a shock. As a matter of fact, I personally would be more shocked if he said "Yea. Homosexuals are fine. I actually officiated a couple gay weddings up there in 'Frisco." Either way, all he did was go on a publicity interview (one which I would guess was set up by A&E), was asked a question, and gave an honest opinion. Nothing more.

On the other side, A&E does have a corollary right to protect its brand. While I agree with Mr. Robertson's right to speak his mind, speaking your mind does come with its private consequences. A&E is a business and Mr. Robertson is an employee. A&E has a right to reprimand an employee detrimental to the brand. If I was in a workplace and was going around calling  co-workers derogatory comments, I would expect a reprimand (if not immediate dismissal). I am harming the company at that point. Mr. Robertson's comments was harming A&E. I can guarantee that A&E was facing the threat of losing sponsors. A show cannot run with Chick-fil-A as the only sponsor. Also, Duck Dynasty is billed as a family show. Mr. Robertson's colourful comments about preferring a "vagina" to a "man's anus" harms the family-friendly image that A&E is trying to build up for the show.

Simply put, in this Duck Dynasty situation, which has been blown out of proportion, there are no bad guys. Simply people utilizing their rights.

Pharaoh, the World, and God's Speaking

As I am going through the book of Exodus, I am continually perplexed by why Pharaoh continually has his heart hardened as the Lord is unleashing his power upon Egypt to let the Israelites go. He even admits in 9:27 as the hail was falling upon Egypt that he was in the wrong and the Lord was in the right. Yet, even after this, his heart hardened and he refused to let the Israelites go. This did deeply bug me and I wondered why his heart kept becoming so hardened.

Egypt represents the world and Moses is representing those speaking the truth of God. A lot of times in  speaking to those who are not saved, their hearts are hardened towards the Lord. Even if we keep on showing the grace of the Lord to those who are not saved, their hearts still have been hardened and they have a hard time opening up to the Lord. I really do appreciate that Moses did not give up after the initial failure of the Pharoah letting the Israelites honor the Lord. Most of the time, as Christians preach to those who are of the world, they will not likely get through due to hardened hearts. Those who are not saved will find some excuse that will say that something is not of the Lord, such as the magicians for Pharaoh making him believe the plagues were not of the Lord. We cannot give up though. Through repeated showings of the Lord, hearts do soften.

Eventually, Moses's speaking does result in the Israelites leaving Egypt. I have not yet reached that in the reading, but the title of the book does give that away as Exodus means "a mass departure". Eventually, the Lord even shows those of the world that He is the true Lord in ways that are undeniable. It was through Moses's speaking (in conjunction with the plagues upon the world; the plagues symbolizing the calamities that befall us if we are those of the world) that the Lord was able to get the Israelites out of Egypt to fulfill His promise that they have a land of their own. (How wonderful it is that the Lord remembers His promises!)

Retrospective on CSUN: Fall 2009

"When I look back upon my life, its always with a sense of shame." This lyric was sung by the Pet Shop Boys in their song, "It's A Sin" (which also happens to be one of my favourite synthpop songs to). I love this lyric because it fully encapsulates what happens to us as we reminisce: we live with regrets. This happens to me all the time. I regret not trying out for the baseball team freshman year of high school (which gets me angry because my dad was right), I regret not trying hard on the SATs or joining clubs in high school, I regret not moving away for college.

However, looking back at these past three years at CSUN, I really have no regrets. I do wish I had gotten closer to people at CSUN or made some more friends in my classes, but in reality, I don't really regret those things that much. My years at CSUN are coming to an end and I can honestly say if I had to redo everything, I would do things exactly the same.

I must say, I do have a minor inferiority complex stemming from going to CSUN. I do feel lesser than my peers at USC or UCLA for some bizarre reason. But, as I was discussing being upset about denial from those schools for undergraduate studies with my mom, she enlightened me to why those it was important that this happened. This thought never occurred to me. The Lord needed to humble me. Anyone who knew me in high school could describe me in one word: arrogant. The Lord needed me to be humbled so I could seek Him. I knew the Lord needed me at CSUN (more on that later), and I was planning on going to CSUN anyways, but to deny me from those schools was important in the Lord's plan. It was also important to me because it did open up my eyes that GPA wouldn't be the end-all be all of my worth. To go to law school, I actually had to build up a resume. I could say that occurred during my three years here. Here is the story of the beginning of that growth.

I was going to type up my entire experience in one post, but that was getting to be too long, so I decided to break it up. This post will cover the highlights of my opening semester in the Fall of 2009.

It was the Fall of 2009. I was freshly graduated from Academy of the Canyons Middle College High School. I was a business management major at the time (I would end up switching to political science in April 2010). I had a core group of friends, known as the Kanadian Koture Kids, who were basically brothers to me that were all going away. (It truly is a miracle that I am still brothers with those guys after all of these years.) I was looking for a new brotherhood. At Freshman Orientation, I basically signed up for every organization I could find (I even somehow wound up on the Black Student Association mailing list, despite being the most Caucasian man you will ever meet).

I was looking for fraternities, but I also was looking for Christian groups. In high school, I would say conservatively that my school was 90% Atheist and they were abrasive Atheists. I found myself more buying their arguments than able to counter them despite my faith. I even called the Bible, which at the time was a dust collector, a collection of some dude's letters. I knew I needed more of a foundation within the Lord.

At that freshman orientation, I met Josh Herman. He would prove to be the one who really brought me into the Church and moreso into Christ. We met at a Christian Students at CSUN booth and he happened to be from Santa Clarita too. His sister was actually applying to go into the high school I had just graduated from. I really think this is a key detail. A week later, after the thought of me joining a Christian group subsided, I saw him around campus and he said "Hey Cody!" I could not remember where I saw him and was greatly embarrassed. A week after that was Meet the Clubs week. I was with my brother and again Josh saw me at the table for Christian Students at CSUN. He told me about the dinner they were having that Friday night. I was up in the air about going, but then I remembered that he remembered my name. Being an identical twin, having a sense of identity is important to me, so when somebody remembers me as someone besides "Nick's brother", it means a lot to me. I had the thought "He had the respect to remember my name, I'll respect him enough to go to this stupid dinner thing." Me and my brother agreed to give it an hour or at least until they started talking about how our unbaptized souls were going to burn in hell. As I like to say, that hour has turned into three enjoyable years and counting for me in the church life, and there should be many more to come.

One of the situations that really reinforced that the Lord wanted me to join this Christian group was actually one night that contrasted with the fraternity I was rushing at the time (I will refrain from using the name only because the guys didn't screw me over and I really don't want to associate them with the negative tone I am about to use in this story). There was a party on a Friday night. There was a lot of kegging and beer pong going around. Lots of dirty dancing going on. I felt so out of place, being so straightedge. I'll never forget how dimly lit it was either. You couldn't see a thing. I left the party and went to a church meeting. I'll never forget it. The house, when I walked in, was brighter than the sun to me. It was a literal picture of me walking out of the darkness of the world and into the light of the Lord. I knew then where I needed to be.

Those are the main memories I have from nearly three years ago, but stayed tuned. I plan on finishing up my retrospective before my graduation on May 23rd.

2012 MLB Predictions

It's that time of year. Time for my predictions on the upcoming baseball season. Unfortunately, I've been really busy with law school visits, school, and work, so I could not do this before game 1 in Japan between the A's and Mariners. Fortunately, that game will not affect my predictions. Here goes:

AL West
1. Texas Rangers (97-65): While I don't like moving Neftali Feliz to the rotation, I like this offense enough to support a rotation that frankly is good, but not great. I expect the bullpen to be lights-out as Joe Nathan has a bounceback season.

2. Los Angeles Angels (96-66): As an Angels fan, of course I like the Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson signings (for now), but I wish there was more support for the bullpen. Hopefully Jason Isringhausen and LaTroy Hawkins can provide some support for a bullpen that blew the most games in the majors.

3. Oakland Athletics (72-90): Sorry A's fans, but Manny Ramirez won't save this offense. But I do expect Yoenis Cespedes to be good. Just not good enough to carry this team, despite a pretty solid rotation.

4. Seattle Mariners (66-96): Outside of Felix, the pitching on this team is suspect to me. Also, I don't expect Jesus Montero to be enough of a masher in that park to prevent this team from scoring the fewest runs in the league.

AL Central:
1. Detroit Tigers (103-59): This Tigers team has the offense and solid enough pitching to overcome their defensive deficiencies and movement of positions. During the regular season they will be compared to the 1984 Tigers, one of the all time great teams.

2. Kansas City Royals (82-80): Young team, but will show solid development.

3. Chicago White Sox (80-82): Adam Dunn will have a bounceback year, but the rest of that team's offense (outside of Konerko) and the pitching staff is still suspect.

4. Cleveland Indians (80-82): Ubaldo will be a decent pitcher, but again, injuries and the team offense will take its toll.

5. Minnesota Twins (78-84): No rotation to speak of. Justin Mourneau will suffer more from his concussions and while I expect Joe Mauer to have a high average, nothing else will fall into place for him.

AL East:
1. New York Yankees (99-63): While a lot of analysts, like this rotation, I feel theres still too many question marks outside of CC Sabathia. Also, injuries will start to hamper this team, but there will still be enough offense to carry the day.

2. Tampa Bay Rays (96-66): The rotation is among the best in the league, and I think the offense and the bullpen will do just enough to carry the team into the playoffs.

3. Boston Red Sox (90-72): Great offense, good year from Carl Crawford, but no back end of the rotation to speak of and a suspect bullpen.

4. Toronto Blue Jays (89-73): Expect another monster year from Joey Bautista and a great year from Brett Lawrie. Strong development of the rotation as well.

5. Baltimore Orioles (71-91): This is a young team that frankly won't have too many bright spots this year outside of Adam Jones.

NL West:
1. Arizona Diamondbacks (94-68): Great season from the offense as it continues its development from last year. I still don't like the bullpen, but it will be enough to carry the team.

2. San Francisco Giants (92-70): Same old story. No offense, great pitching and bullpen.

3. LA Dodgers (88-74): I expect Matt Kemp to carry this team and the magic deal opens up trade deadline possibilities and Clayton Kershaw to be among the best pitchers in the league.

4. Colorado Rockies (82-80): Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez will put up MVP caliber seasons, but I do not trust that pitching staff.

5. San Diego Padres (80-82): Like a poor mans San Francisco, except with a worse pitching staff.

NL Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals (90-72): I don't expect much of a drop-off from losing Albert Pujols, especially with the return of Adam Wainwright.

2. Cincinatti Reds (88-74): This team is pinning its entire rotation and sucess on Mat Latos, who I don't see doing well in that ballpark. The rest of that rotation also isn't the stuff dreams are made of. But that offense should carry the team well.

3.Milwaukee Brewers (86-76): Ryan Braun will not have a great season this year. Fortunately, Shaun Marcum and Zach Grienke will make up for that.

4. Pittsburgh Pirates (78-84): Losing season becomes legal. But Andrew McCutchen develops into one of the top players in baseball and AJ Burnett has a really good season after shedding the New York pressure.

5. Chicago Cubs (77-85): This is a team really without any bright spots except Starlin Castro developing into one of the best young offensive shortstops in the game.

6. Houston Astros (55-107): I might be optimist in my projection. This is a AAA team mostly. Might challenge being one of the worst teams ever.

NL East:
1. Philadelphia Phillies (95-77): One of the big three will get injured and the offense will under-perform. But the rotation is still good enough to carry this team.

2. Miami Marlins (92-70): The most entertaining team to watch this season. While the free agent signings are what everyone will watch, it is truly Giancarlo (Mike) Stanton's offense that carries this team.

3. Washington Nationals (90-72): This team has a great future, and they will begin to put it all together in the second half.

4. Atlanta Braves (86-76): Great pitching staff, no offense. Bullpen injuries will also occur.

5. New York Mets (70-92): Only expectations to have for this team is David Wright's continual decline.

PLAYOFFS:

Wild Card Games:
NL: San Francisco Giants over Miami Marlins
AL: Los Angeles Angels over Tampa Bay Rays

ALDS:
Texas Rangers over New York Yankees (3-1)
Los Angeles Angels over Detroit Tigers (3-2)

NLDS:
Philadelphia Phillies over San Francisco Giants (3-2)
Arizona Diamondbacks over St Louis Cardinals (3-2)

ALCS:
Texas Rangers over Los Angeles Angels (4-3)

NLCS
Arizona Diamondbacks over Philadelphia Phillies (4-1)

World Series:
Texas Rangers over Arizona Diamondbacks (4-1)

Awards:
NL ROY: Trevor Bauer 15-5, 3.41 ERA, 195 Ks
AL ROY: Matt Moore 16-6, 2.95 ERA, 201 Ks

NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw 20-5, 2.23 ERA, 264 Ks
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander 23-4, 2.46 ERA, 270 Ks

AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera .343 batting average, 38 home runs, 125 RBIs
NL MVP: Justin Young .304 batting average, 45 home runs, 130 RBI

AL Manager of the Year: Ron Washington, Texas Rangers
NL Manager of the Year: Mike Mathaney, St Louis Cardinals

End of the CSUs

A year ago, I was in a Political Philosophy class and the professor said "California State University Northridge will not be around in 20 years." I thought he was a crazy professor with a flair for the melodramatic. I was right, but he was also right.

Now, I take the same professor for a Modern Political Philosophy class. He says the exact same sentence. I look to the left of me and notice 20 people wanting to add who can't get the classes they need. They won't get in because the administration froze permission numbers. They're visiting the class has been in vain. They will soon flee to community college for a semester and then transfer out of state. The CSU Chancellor has said that he wants an 11% cut in CSU enrollment. He will get it.

My professor said the process will take 20 years. I give California State University system as we know it about a decade. Cuts and the inability for a budget to be made have killed the system. The system is too big to sustain.

The dream of subsidized public higher education in California is dying if not already dead.

There are a couple of choices I think the CSU system must do in order to salvage what is left of this subsidized public higher education system:

1) Cut down the number of schools.
23 is too many. There are several schools within an hours or so drive even from CSU Northridge (Long Beach, Los Angeles, Dominguez Hills). There is a need to consolidate. What I think should happen is that the state comes up with criteria for which schools survive the cut. I would suggest a combination of academic performance and ability to get jobs, much like a law school ranking system. The schools that do not survive the cut get spun off into the community college system, get privatized into non-state universities, or simply sell the space to other buildings.

2) Increase the admissions standards.
It is in my experience far too easy to get into CSUN. I know it goes against the principle of expanding higher education to the disadvantaged, but I feel that raising the GPA/SAT standards to get into CSUs would improve the health of the system. Part of the problem we face now is the fact that the system over-enrolled before the decline. I have often called CSU Northridge "Cal State Community College Northridge". Perhaps I am coming of as an arrogant elitist, but I feel a higher admissions standard would yield a better intellectual crop than what I currently see around campus and raise the prestige of the Cal State system.

Unfortunately, these are the only major ideas that I have that would save the California State University system. But as it stands, there must be a change to the current path.

Angels in the Hall of Fame

Yesterday, shortstop Barry Larkin was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. While I think Tim Raines and Jeff Bagwell should've been the ones voted in, thats a discussion for another day. Angels fan favorite Tim Salmon was on the ballot, but only gained five votes for admittance. Which is five more than I think he should've gotten. He was a no-brainer not Hall of Famer. He's an Angels Hall of Famer but not a Baseball Hall of Famer.

There is nobody representing the Angels in the Hall of Fame. There are Hall of Fame players who could've but it ended up they didn't (Rod Carew and Nolan Ryan) and others who played a small portion of their careers for the Angels (Reggie Jackson). Come to think of it, there are no Angels players who will be Hall of Fame bound anytime soon. I think the first person to get into the Hall of Fame as an Angel will be manager Mike Scioscia. Here are a few potential candidates who could get in as an Angel, but probably will not.

Vladimir Guerrero: 2004-2009. Will go in as the last Montreal Expo. He has the highest shot of any player. Won an MVP with the Angels in 2004. He is a HoFer who hit 173 of his 443 HRs as an Angel. One of the most feared players of the 2000s. But he hit most of his home runs and RBIs as an Expo.

Jim Edmonds: Angels 1993-1999. Will go in as a St. Louis Cardinal. He won a World Series title with the Cardinals in 2006. While starting out his career as an Angel, he made his mark as a great defensive centerfielder with the Cardinals. He also hit 1200 RBIs and 393 home runs. He has my vote for the HoF.

Torii Hunter: Angels 2007-present. Will go in as a Minnesota Twin. Considered the greatest defensive centerfielder of the 2000s probably. Has the solid offensive numbers to back up a HoF candidacy. While he gets my vote, he will probably be a borderline candidate who will be a fifteenth balloter.

Albert Pujols: Angels 2012- Probably end of career. Will go in as a St. Louis Cardinal. Unless he puts up monster numbers with the Angels, nothing will match his Cardinals career.