Trip to Atlanta

Monday, October 11, we left for Atlanta at about 10:00. The Boltons, the Browns, Wayne, Daniel, and I were going to see Atlanta play San Francisco in the baseball playoffs. We were hoping for a win, but the Braves lost. At least we got to see Bobby Cox's last game as Braves manager. Daniel went on to Gatlinburg with Kyle and his family. We got back home about 4 AM.

Braves vs. Yankees and Red Sox

We love going to Atlanta to see the Braves play. Earlier this summer the Braves were playing interleague games against the Yankees and the Red Sox, so we went and saw them play on Thursday and Friday night. Katy couldn't go, because of her babysitting, so Daniel took his friend Kyle. Some friends of ours, the Boltons, went, too. We had a great time even though the Braves lost both games :( I enjoyed getting to see John Smoltz even though he looked funny in a Red Sox uniform.

Buddy Carlyle

While watching the Braves today, the announcers reported that pitcher Buddy Carlyle (one of our favorites already) has diabetes. Apparently he hasn't been feeling well for a while and he had lost quite a bit of weight. Now that he's started insulin, he's already feeling better. Even though I'm sorry that he's diabetic, I'm glad that someone with his character will be able to be a role model for my kids, especially Daniel who really watches athletes. I found this article on Braves.com that tells more about Buddy. I'm wasn't at all surprised when I saw that he wants to help kids deal with diabetes. Well be keeping up with Buddy and hope that he's feeling much better soon.

(Article from Braves.com) The right-handed reliever went on the disabled list May 26 with a back/neck strain. But after losing nearly 20 pounds in recent weeks, Carlyle went in for bloodwork Wednesday that revealed an extremely high sugar level.
Tests confirmed he had type-1 diabetes, once known as “juvenile diabetes.” It’s usually diagnosed in children and young adults. Diabetics’ bodies do not produce enough insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar (glucose), starches and other food into energy for daily life.
It’s a serious disease, but one that can be managed if treated properly. There have been notable athletes with type-1 diabetes who have continued successful careers, including NFL quarterback Jay Cutler.
Cutler lost considerable weight and zip on his passes before being checked out and diagnosed with diabetes. He now carries insulin with him in a pouch.
Carlyle experienced a loss in energy and a decline in his fastball velocity over a period of several weeks this season, and his ERA ballooned to 8.84 after a string of rough relief appearances that included two grand slams allowed.
“Now it makes sense,” he said, describing how something felt wrong during that period, when his energy level wasn’t normal and he couldn’t keep his weight up. “It’s given me and my family some relief, knowing what is wrong and that it’s something that’s treatable.”
Carlyle was holding a syringe and insulin as he spoke to a reporter Friday afternoon. He was about to go to a private area of the Braves’ clubhouse to give himself his first injection, the first of five-daily injections he must take.
“I’m going to do everything right, treat this the way you’re supposed to,” he said. “It’s definitely a life-changer. My plan is to get back to pitching, and I’m going to try to use this as a positive, to help other people out, kids who have a hard time dealing with it after being diagnosed.”

Sad Sports Stories

After Alabama football is over our family shifts focus to the Atlanta Braves upcoming season. We've been able to attend several games over the past few years with the kids and even got to go to a spring training game a couple of years ago when we went to DisneyWorld over Spring Break. Wayne and I were Atlanta fans before we knew each other. We even went to Braves games on our honeymoon. I remember cheering for the Braves when they were at the bottom of the standings. Dale Murphy is my all time favorite Brave, but I've enjoyed watching Terry Pendleton, Fred McGriff, Chipper (of course) Jones, Brian McCann, Tom Glavine, and the list could go on and on. One of the best Braves through the years has been John Smoltz. We loved watching Smoltzy pitch when he started, then was the closer, and then went back to starting. We were so sad when he got hurt during this past season and had to have surgery but we were fully expecting him to be back playing in a Braves uniform next season - not a Red Sox uniform. It's just not going to be the same without John Smoltz.

Another team my family cheers for is the Tennessee Titans. We were so excited when the Titans started the season on fire. It's been a great season, but it all came to an end today when the Baltimore Ravens beat our team 13-10. Maybe we'll go all the way to the Super Bowl next year.

It was a sad sports weekend at the Scott home.