Luke’s Notebook

Here are my official World Series picks.

Tigers over Cardinals in six games. MVP is Ivan Rodriguez.

I was dead wrong with my playoff picks a few weeks ago. The Twins laid an egg in the NLDS, getting swept by the Athletics, and they were supposed to beat the Mets in the World Series. So to this point, my guesses haven’t really held much water.

Anyway, there’s my official, unbiased guess. I’m not at all confident in it, and obviously I very much want the Cards to win. I wouldn’t be surprised if they did win, either. I’m just leaning a little bit towards Detroit, so that explains my guess.

We’ll know soon.

Yesterday morning, we packed the cars again and left the home in Maine in order to drive west through New Hampshire, Vermont, and eventually into New York. We were on the road for a good 14 or 15 hours, so it was quite a travel day. But around 10:15 last night, we arrived at this home on Keuka Lake near Penn Yan, New York.

We have visited this home twice before — once in the fall of 2001 and a year later in 2002. It’s in a beautiful area of upstate New York, in what is known as the finger lakes region of the state.

Today has been a rather slow day for us, as we’ve gotten some deposition work done, visited the dock on Keuka Lake, a few of us tossed a baseball around outside, and we’re just settling into our home away from home.

This evening, we’ll all gather to watch the Cardinals play in Game One of the World Series. We’ll have Anthony Reyes pitching, which is kind of a surprise to me, against Justin Verlander, one of the Tigers’ flamethrowers. It’s going to be a really interesting series!

Pretty much everybody and their mother is picking the Tigers to smush the Cardinals, but I think it will be a hard-fought series. It will definitely be an upset if the Cards win the series, but I know they’re capable, especially after beating the Mets in the NLCS. So we’ll see what happens!

Also, for those who follow the Video Of The Week, I updated it today with a time-lapse video of Lake Christopher in Bryant Pond, Maine. In the final part of the video, you can see a bunch of us moving around on the lake in canoes and stuff. Last week’s video, by the way, is a cute one of Caleb and Peter playing chess at the house in Maine.

WOW! The Cardinals beat the mets 3-1 in one of the most dramatic baseball games I’ve ever seen. They won the NLCS 4-3, and they’re advancing to the World Series to play against the Tigers on Saturday night in Detroit.

And, wouldn’t you know it? Jeff Suppan is the MVP of the NLCS. Adam Wainwright, though he let the Mets load the bases in the bottom of the ninth, he threw a handful of his trademark curveballs, including the filthy one that froze Carlos Beltran and won Game Seven.

So I repeat: WOW! Who would have thought that the two guys who came to the Softball Classic would have played so well in the NLCS? For Suppan to be the MVP and Wainwright to pick up the save, it’s just so awesome! I’m thinking the home run derby that the two of them participated in back in August must have helped give them the extra edge for the postseason, don’t yo think so?

But… my, oh my. What a dramatic game. Carlos Beltran could have ended that game with a swing of the bat. One meatball over the plate, and the Mets could have easily won the game 5-3 and be on their way to Detroit. Wainwright whipped out the curveball, and the Cards held on.

Gosh… baseball is pretty exciting, isn’t it?

Today, the family went out to visit a couple of waterfalls in the area here in Maine. Our first stop was Snow Falls, which is a small waterfall along Highway 26. The second stop was Screw Auger Falls, which is nestled among the White Mountains, a bunch of pine trees… and lots of rocks.

The waterfalls at Screw Auger were really pretty, and the rocks added a lot to the scenery. The rocks also added… some danger. I took a little spill on a large rock behind one of the waterfalls. It wasn’t wet or exceptionally steep or anything, but for some reason I lost my footing and ended up slipping off of the one big rock. I kind of got knocked around just a little bit against a few rocks and ended up on a muddy plateau about five or six feet below the rock I was standing on.

I ended up amazingly unscathed, as I didn’t hit my head on anything on the way down. I sprained my left wrist and scratched my right wrist a little bit. The biggest injury was my right shin, which must have hit pretty hard against the rocks, because it has been hurting quite a bit, with a good-sized lump. To my surprise, it’s also been bleeding — albeit it real slowly — for the past five or six hours, even though it’s a really small gash. Maybe it’s just a little deeper than most wounds.

I was really surprised that I fell, because I was even consciously thinking how I don’t even want to be daring or adventurous in climbing. I was just standing on a rock, and the next thing I knew I was off my feet and was getting knocked against a few rocks. It’s sobering to realize just how easy it is to get hurt like that, because I wasn’t even being very dangerous. But even then, I could have easily have hit my head against one of the big rocks there. Thank God for His amazing protection!

At any rate, Mom was kind enough to wrap it up for me, and I bet when I uncover it next it will have started to heal up. My mommy is a good nurse. I should be good as new in no time.

Anyway, aside from my little mishap on the rocks, we had a great time. We’ve seen some beautiful waterfalls there! It made for a great day trip as a family. And the next time I decide to go climbing around waterfalls, maybe I should wear some hiking shoes or something with a little more traction than my tennis shoes.

Game Seven of the NLCS has been extremely exciting. Endy Chavez of the Mets just make a spectacular play in left field to rob Scott Rolen of a two-run homer — which would have given the Cardinals a 3-1 lead with one out in the sixth inning — and turned it into an inning-ending double play. If you saw that catch, you would agree; it was amazing.

Right now, Jeff Suppan and the Cards are in trouble, as Jose Valentin is batting with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the sixth. We desperately need a double play or a strikeout here. It’s 1-0 on Valentin at the moment. Here’s the 1-0 pitch form Suppan. Foul ball, evening the count at 1-1. Strike two on a curveball from Suppan. 1-2 the count now to Valentin. The 1-2 pitch from Suppan is fouled off. Here we go again. Strike three!! Suppan got him swinging for the second out, and who else steps in but Endy Chavez, the man responsible for keeping it a tie game. A base hit would put the Mets on top.

The first pitch to Chavez is popped up to center… and Edmonds catches it!! The Cardinals dodge a couple of bullets, and we go to the seventh tied at 1-1. Man, this is exciting! Three innings will decide who goes to the World Series.

If there is one thing that’s difficult about vacations, it’s how it can be a big challenge to eat healthy. Man, I hope I don’t balloon up too much after this trip! I’m determined to fight back, though, and pay back any debt that I incur while on this trip. Hello, DDR; hello, YMCA!

To help cut costs a little bit today, I played wiffle ball with Jude and the chubs. Later on, Jacob, Nathan, and I went on a long canoeing excursion. We were out for a while; it was really tiring! Man, I could build some serious muscle if I went canoeing often. It’s a good workout!

Well, we’re watching Game Six of the NLCS at the moment. The Mets are on top of the Cardinals 1-0 a the moment in the bottom of the third. The Cardinals won yesterday, and all they need to do is win tonight or tomorrow, and they’ll be on their way to Detroit to play the Tigers in the World Series.

Back to baseball. Let’s go, Cardinals!

Today, we made the drive east to the Bar Harbor area and visited Acadia National Park. It was a long drive, and we saw some really gorgeous scenery there at the park. We also saw a lighthouse there on the coast of the island that Acadia is on. It was really pretty! We roamed around the rocky coast and found a crab and several starfish.

Right now, we’re gathered in the living room, watching Game Five of the NLCS. The Cardinals are up 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, and David Eckstein is up with one out and a runner on third. Adam Wainwright recorded the final out of the top of the eighth and should be trying to save the game in the top of the ninth. Adam has been outstanding so far as a closer, and if he can get three more outs then the Cards will be only one win away from the World Series. This is exciting!

Today was a pretty relaxed day here in beautiful Maine. We slept in, spent a lot of time together as a family doing a lot of stuff. In the morning, Jude, Wizzy, Caleb, and I played whiffle ball out in the yard. It was Wizzy and I versus Jude and Caleb. We had a really close game, and they ended up winning with a walk-off hit. It was pretty fun!

We had a makeshift church service in the living room of this house, and after that Mom and Dad went out to lunch at a nearby Pizza Hut. When we got back from there, Jude, Seth, and I climbed into one of the two canoes here and went on a long trek out on the lake. It was a little bit chilly, but we had a lot of fun! The lake and its surrounding area is so beautiful. Today I even had a video camera set up on a tripod in order to get a time-lapse recording of the lake. I’m anxious to speed it up and see how it turns out.

Right now, the Cardinals are getting crushed by the Mets by a score of 11-3. It looks like the teams will enter tomorrow night tied 2-2 in the series. It will be tough to win Game Five, since the Cardinals have to face Tom Glavine, who is the Mets’ best pitcher. It will be really hard if the Cards have to return to New York down 3-2 in the series, so I sure hope they can win tomorrow night! They have Jeff Weaver pitching, who pitched really good in the NLDS against the Padres and had a respectable game in Game One of the NLCS. Baseball is interesting!

The family spent pretty much all day Saturday exploring lighthouses that rest along the Atlantic coast up here in Maine. We started by meeting up with Tracy, who was the producer of the TLC documentary that was done on our family. He lives in this area, and he invited us to meet up with him. We drove to his house, he gave us a tour, and then the family followed him as he led us to Nubble Lighthouse in York and then the Portland Head Light in Portland, Maine.

We had been to Nubble a good five years ago, as we visited it during our first trip to Maine. On that day back in 2001, it was cold, gray, and wet. Yesterday was… beautiful! It was slightly chilly, but the sky was blue and the sun was shining. It was a great time to snap photos and get record some video of the lighthouse and the ocean, with its waves crashing against the rocks.

After Nubble, we caravaned back to Tracy’s house, where we ate lunch. When we were finished, we climbed back into the cars and Tracy led the way to the Portland Head Light. It was the first time the family ever visited this lighthouse, and it was a really impressive area as well. The ocean was very blue, and I just loved watching the foamy waves. Needless to say, we got some spectacular shots of both areas. Mom loves lighthouses, so she especially enjoyed the day.

When we were packing up to leave Portland, we said goodbye to Tracy and we drove back down to Bryant Pond. We watched the end of Game Four of the ALCS, and we saw Magglio Ordonez’s walk-off home run to complete the Tigers’ sweep of the A’s and launch them into the World Series. Pretty exciting!

We also watched Game Three of the NLCS, where the Cardinals hosted the Mets in a series tied 1-1. The Cardinals rolled over the Mets — winning 5-0 — thanks to Jeff Suppan’s great pitching and his solo home run. That’s a rarity for pitchers, and the ball he hit actually hit the top of the wall and bounced over. A half-inch shorter, and the ball probably wouldn’t have cleared the wall! Pretty neat stuff. I’m thinking Jeff’s participating in the home run derby for the Softball Classic back in August must have given him that extra power for the long ball.

Now it’s Sunday morning. Not much is planned today other than vegetating and hanging around the house. It really is a beautiful area, so it’s nice to just slow down and enjoy the house, the lake, and all that surrounds us. In a few days, we’ll be heading west to the Penn Yan, NY, area. We’re having fun here!

After spending most of Wednesday evening packing and getting, at most, an hour of sleep overnight, the family pulled out of the Amish farm around 3:00 AM on Thursday. After getting lost and separated a few times, we finally ended up in Melrose, Massachusetts, which is just outside of Boston. We drove through Beantown and had a chance to see Fenway Park again from a distance.

In Melrose, we stopped at the house of a worker from the production company who is putting together the TLC documentary on our family. We met up with the executive producer from the company, and we also were introduced to a few other crew members, as they had to videotape a few additional clips and take a few more interviews of some of us. We also saw Derek again, who is an associate producer and was one of the guys who spent a week with us back in August.

After spending about eight hours at the house, we ended up leaving around 11:00, 11:30 in the evening. A few hours and a few states later, we arrived at this house in Bryant Pond, Maine, around 3:15 in the morning. Around 4:00 AM, I plopped down in bed and was out like a light. Like most of the family, I had been pretty short on sleep, and it was great to get a solid six or seven hours over the night. We were… pretty fried yesterday!

Anyway, it was a beautiful day here in Maine. This house we’re staying in is located on a beautiful lake, and with the autumn leaves visible all around, it’s a spectacular sight. There are a couple of canoes, a rowboat, and a pedal boat that we’re able to use during our stay. Jacob and I took a brief canoe trip before supper, so that was my first taste of the lake since five years ago, when the family stayed at this exact same house. We love it! It’s gorgeous.

Now I’m sitting in the living room here, and we are watching Game Two of the NLCS on television. The Mets and Cardinals are tied 4-4 at the moment. It’s so great to unwind and slow things down. This is a lot of fun! Fall is beautiful.